No curry, cobbler instead

Sorry, the curry didn't happen today. I sat at my desk editing a paper all afternoon and then just had time to make some raspberry bars (from a box - it works in a pinch) and a berry cobbler (from scratch) before heading out the door to a church gathering tonight. I've made the cobbler recipe so many times it I have it memorized.

Easy, easy fruit cobbler

Fill a pie pan with fruit. My favorite is berries - a mix of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I buy them frozen in a bag. They work just fine. Sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon are also good. Sometimes I even mix apples and berries.

Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, and a pinch of salt. This will be crumbly. That's ok. Spread it over the fruit in the pie pan.

Then melt 1 stick of butter. Pour that over the top of everything. Bake it all at 350 for about 30 minutes or til the topping is golden brown.

This is perfect with vanilla ice cream. I like left-overs for breakfast. Yes, breakfast. I always remember that Almanzo in Farmer Boy (Laura Ingalls Wilder) ate apple pie for breakfast, so I figure I can eat berry cobbler. Yes? Yes!

Next up...

My curry recipe. But not just yet. For now, I will share the secrets...

Patak's curry paste
coconut milk
lime juice
cilantro

You could do just about anything with these ingredients and a few vegetables and it would taste good. Details tomorrow after I make some to remind myself what I do!

Success!

For this bread, I will maintain my friendship bread sourdough starter!

Dense, chewy, and moist on the inside, crusty on the outside, with a hint of sour flavor. I think if I used half unbleached flour instead of all whole wheat, the sour flavor would be more prominent. But, I love the whole wheat goodness. This bread is going to be a standby! Baking it in the Dutch oven is easy as can be and I ended up with a huge loaf that looked, tasted and felt like an artisan loaf from the bakery.

This is definitely one to experiment with. How about whole wheat/unbleached with a bit of garlic and jalapenos; all unbleached with rosemary; all whole wheat with cinnamon and raisins....oooooh, lots of possibilities.

I also want to try the original recipe from which I got the idea for baking in the Dutch oven. It's here.

Trying new things

You know that friendship bread starter that 47 of your friends have tried to give you and when you give in and accept it, it sits in your fridge til it gets strange things growing on it. Yeah. That stuff. You know what I'm talking about.

Well, I got some from Kay the other day. I am determined this time not to let it turn colors in my fridge. The problem is, I am cutting way down on sugar and don't really want to feel obligated to make a sugary quick loaf every ten days. So, this morning I am trying an experiment.

This is a sourdough starter, right. And most of the sourdough bread I have eaten and enjoyed is not sweet, but sour and chewy and crusty and delicious. So, I'm trying an experiment. I have mixed my usual bread dough in the Magic Mill using the organic stone ground flour I got yesterday. I did add a little yeast (not depending on the sourdough to do all the rising). I'm going to let it rise a bit longer to give the sourdough time to infiltrate the loaf and give it flavor. Plus, I think a completely whole wheat bread needs a little longer rise time.

Then I will bake a nice round loaf in my cast iron pot a la the method I just found online when I went searching for how to make a crusty loaf. I am, obviously, not using the recipe in the link, but I want to try that another day. It sounds good.

I'll let you know how this experiment turns out. If it's no good, Coty will still take this bread, toast it, and eat it for breakfast. I can always count on him to say, of failed bread, "Well, it makes good toast." One of the reasons I love him.

The second new thing this morning is roasting peppers. After our walk, Amber and I were talking peppers and she told me what she did with her bumper crop of peppers. I took her advice, plus that of several online helpers, and now have two aluminum foil lined pans with banana and long green peppers roasting and filling my kitchen with the most wonderful roasty, peppery aroma.

Finally, my breakfast this morning is a new twist on an old goodie, again, thanks to Amber. My organic steel cut oats that also arrived yesterday will be in my breakfast bowl this morning. I am following Amber's method. I toasted a cup full in a small amount of butter in my cast iron Dutch oven. They are, at the moment, soaking in a mix of yogurt and water. In a little bit, I'll add more water and cook them. Amber says the toasting before cooking adds a nice flavor and keeps the oats more fluffy. Sounds good to me. I will eat these lovely oats with blackberries and a little maple syrup while I smell roasting peppers and wait for the bread to rise.

Not a bad way to start the day.

On the stove...

bubbling away and filling the house with earthy, healthy aromas are a big pot of pinto beans and a bigger pot of collard greens. I'm cooking the greens Teresa's way with an onion, a bit of chicken stock, some lemon juice, and a little salt. Homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and peppers from the garden will grace the beans and brown rice. Brown rice will get cooked in the rice cooker later. Love that appliance. It's a nice big one and can cook brown rice for a crowd.

In the oven...a carrot cake.

Heading back to the kitchen to mix up cream cheese frosting while it bakes.

Currently reading...

Looks very interesting. As I think about our "Eating like the rest of the world" food experiment (stay tuned for more on that), this will be an informative read.









Curious to see what is recommended here and looking to make some dietary changes.










I also want to read Nourishing Traditions and a good cookbook. Any suggestions?

I love...

a good summer meal like last night's....Sorry, no food glamour shots.

From the Harrisburg farmer's market - okra cooked in coconut milk and curry paste, fresh corn on the cob, and the sweetest watermelon of the season.

From the garden - fried green tomatoes. Yes! Love 'em. Not particularly healthy, I know. But so good, dipped in a little corn meal and fried in olive oil with just a little salt.

From the freezer - collard greens.

And leftover from lunch - brown rice.